Was it a new Disney theme park? Maybe in India? Was it a new gaming system? What was Disney planning to announce as its so-called “Secret Project” during the D23 Expo – the Disney fan club extravaganza held every other year that runs from Friday to Sunday, Aug. 23 to 25.

When the announcement came during a media preview Thursday night, it was less earth-shattering: A show and coffee table book about one day in the life of Disney creative types around the world, to air on the new Disney+ streaming service, and also available for purchase as a book.

Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and Ricky Strauss, president, content and marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America, that’s the new 224 page coffee table book and documentary series titled, One Day, during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The book and series was takes a day-in-the-life look at Disney employees on February 21, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A visitor to the Epcot booth checks out retro-style posters during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Disney Chairman of Parks, Experiences and Products, Bob Chapek announces changes to Epcot during a media preview at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The book consists of 76 separate photo shoots taken around the world, all on Feb. 21, 2019, of Disney creative types at work. On Dec. 3, the same day the book is published, a short-form series of 52 episodes will begin on Disney+ including a feature-length documentary.

“It’s a book and a documentary series telling the world how awesome it is to work for the Walt Disney Company,” Jordan Poblete of DisneyExaminer.com said. “It was just over-hyped.”

There was other news announced to a gaggle of press by Bob Chapek, Disney’s Chairman of Parks, Experiences and Products.

Disney plans to transform Epcot in Orlando to be “more Disney, more family, more timeless and more elegant,” Chapek said at the media preview. “We couldn’t possibly reveal everything we’re doing tonight.”

Epcot’s transformation will include a first-ever Moana attraction to be called the Journey of Water, Chapek said. He also described the “immersive superhero-themed lands” where visitors will join Avengers in their fights for justice. The new lands, including one at Disney California Adventure, will be called “Avengers Campus.”

Chapek also said Disney plans to build a Star Wars-themed experience. “It’s not an attraction, not a hotel; it’s a journey in a Star Wars galactic star cruiser,” Chapek said. “Guests will check in for a multi-day adventure on a star cruiser.”

He promised more details during a D23 Expo Disney fan club session Sunday devoted to the parks and experiences.

Marla Jo Fisher was a workaholic hard news reporter before she adopted two children from foster care at age 46, picked up a scruffy dog along the way and somehow managed to keep them all alive, at least so far. She now writes the Frumpy Middle-Age Mom humor column that appears in the Orange County Register weekly. Due to her status as the cheapest person alive, she also writes about deals and bargains for the Register, including her Cheapo Travel column which also runs in newspapers around the country. When she's not having a nervous breakdown, she's usually traveling somewhere cheaply and writing about it.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.